A person can act carefully and courageously at the same time.

Courage is often pictured as recklessness, the leap taken without a look. In practice most brave things are done by people who checked the ropes, told somebody where they were going, and thought about what could go wrong. Care is not the opposite of nerve, and frequently it is what makes nerve survivable. Doing the frightening thing properly is still doing the frightening thing.

If you have been waiting to feel bold, prepare instead: gather the facts, arrange the safety net, and go anyway. Let the carefulness be part of the courage rather than a delay before it.